GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The big day is almost here. A total solar eclipse will move over parts of North America on April 8. There isn't much data about how these events affect wildlife. After all, you can't exactly go out and study solar eclipses every day. However, there is some evidence to suggest an eclipse causes animals to behave differently.
"There are some stories about animals reacting differently. Because it's getting dark, crickets will start singing early. Bees will stop flying around and start roosting for the night to try to take cover. The animals are basically going to think night is coming early, and a lot of those are going to take actions that they would normally take at night, just in the middle of the day," said Dan Hemmann, who is a curator at John Ball Zoo.
Even though Grand Rapids is not in the path of totality, Hemmann says the zoo will be monitoring its animals to see how the eclipse might affect their behavior.
"Zoo animals are another area that people don't know how they react. One story I read was a flock of penguins got their morning food, and then the eclipse happened and they all got really worried that it was getting dark and they hadn't had their dinner yet. So they were pretty active. It'll be neat to see how the animals here react to this event," he said.
If you'd like to help scientists learn more about how animals react to the eclipse, there are several different citizen science projects you can take part in. Solar Eclipse Safari is asking people to record their observations about how pets, farm animals, zoo animals, or wild animals react to the eclipse. NASA's Eclipse Soundscapes asks people to make a sound recording during the eclipse so scientists can analyze audible changes in different environments.
Still have questions?
You can text "eclipse" to 616-559-1310 to share your lingering questions about the total solar eclipse, and we'll do our best to get answers.
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